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Even if you don’t consider yourself an athlete, we believe there is an inner athlete in all of us. We all may have to dig a little deeper at times but that athlete is there. So get outside and do something you love! Explore. And do it on a daily basis. Life is too short to not to.

We are advocates of a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet for many reasons, but one is because it increases your quality of life from the inside out. We believe this lifestyle is best for optimal health and overall wellness and can help you and your loved ones avoid major preventable diseases. The cool thing is that it’s good for the animals and environment too.

Make sure you eat enough.

Many athletes and people in general fail on a WFPB diet because they fail to eat enough total calories. Whole plant foods in general are low in calories (except for things like nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut), but that’s the beauty of it all. We absolutely love food! We would rather be able to fill our stomachs full of lots of good food rather than only a little. People transitioning from a SAD (Standard American Diet) to a WFPB diet may not realize that they need to eat more food to get enough calories for their sport. Food=Fuel.

While we don’t recommend counting calories, we do recommend being mindful of how much (or little) you are eating, where the food came from and if it’s nutritious or not. Make sure to take time while you’re eating to not only fully chew your food, but to also allow yourself to be thankful you have a wonderful meal in front of you. This will not only help you slow down and actually enjoy what you’re eating, but will help your brain access how hungry you truly are.

These types of foods also give your body natural energy, reduce cravings, keep your immune system running well and help your body to recover faster by reducing inflammation. Do you see a pattern here? Pretty much any food that grows from the ground or a plant is considered quality. You can’t go wrong with whole foods. And that means eliminating anything refined and processed.

3. Eat often and eat the rainbow (and we’re not talking skittles here).

We recommend eating every 3-4 hours to help keep your blood sugar stable and your metabolism running high. This will also curb cravings and help you to not gorge yourself at dinner. Eating consistently throughout the day will leave you a happier, healthier person. We recommend eating bigger meals early on to make sure you’re giving your body the fuel it needs. Also aim to eat a variety of colors each day of fruit and vegetables. This ensures that you’re getting an array of disease fighting phytonutrients and antioxidants to keep your immune system running strong. Mix it up and have some fun. And don’t forget about fresh herbs and spices!

One thing that Damian and I do with some of our favorite meals it to constantly change the recipe and see what new ingredients we can add to a dish. Or just try a new fruit or vegetable each week. This helps keep food from getting boring, but also helps you get those 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

4. Always have a plan and extra food on hand.

Stuff happens and you always need to be ready. That’s pretty much the life of an athlete right? We always need to expect things to go wrong and have a backup plan of what to do next in order to succeed. The same rule applies to food. If we’re going somewhere, we always bring lunch, some extra snacks and water in case we end up being there longer than expected. This not only helps you stay on track with healthy eating, but also minimizes excuses…. “well, I was hungry and the donut was right there….” Besides, who knows how long that hike you’re on will last. We always tend to be out in nature longer than expected because the “majesticness” of it all sucks you in. Check out our recipe for energy bites if you happen to be out longer than expected too.

Many people are switching to a vegan or whole foods plant-based diet for health, environmental, animal rights, performance enhancement or additional reasons. As long time plant-based elite athletes for over 14 years and certified in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell plus an M.S. in Plant-Based Nutrition for Athletes, we wanted to share our tips on how to successfully become and stay plant-based.

Long term vegan and pro bodybuilder Torre Washington

This series of blogs will focus on the common mistakes people make on a diets with real solutions on how to thrive on a whole foods, plant-based vegan diet.

Mistake #1: “But Where Do I Get My Protein From?”

Whether you eat a vegan diet or not, you may worry about if you eat enough protein. In reality, most Americans consume too much protein. What’s the medical definition of protein deficiency? It’s called kwashiorkor and you probably never heard of it because it doesn’t happen very often. People do not fail on a vegan diet from a lack of protein. Instead, people sometimes fail on a vegan diet because they do not eat enough calories especially if they are very active.

From the Physican’s Committee for Responsible Medicine: “An average women needs about 46 grams of protein per day; the average man about 56. If a person were to eat nothing but broccoli for a day, a 2,000-calorie diet would provide a whopping 146 grams of protein. Yes, green vegetables are loaded with protein. A person eating only lentils would get even more—2,000 calories’ worth of lentils pack 157 grams. Of course, no one would eat only broccoli or only lentils, and it is much better to combine foods—beans, grains, vegetables, and fruits—to get complete nutrition. The point is that plant-based foods clearly provide abundant protein. The average American actually consumes too much protein, according to the CDC, with most people getting nearly double the amount they actually need.”

So, instead of focusing on eating enough protein on a plant-based diet, focus on eating lots of whole plant foods. Yes, you get to (and HAVE to) eat lots of food! What other ‘diet’ tells you to eat LOTS of food? Plants are nutrient dense and mostly low in calories which is super helpful for most Americans since they eat too many calories and then gain weight. If you are not consuming enough food and therefore calories on a plant-based diet, you will feel tired and weak in the long run. Instead, focus on eating LOTS of whole plant foods and you will get plenty of protein, macro & micro nutrients and feel amazing.

Also, when you go plant-based, you do not need to worry about ‘complete proteins’ or ‘protein combining’ which are scientifically proven myths. There are many sources out there for plant-based recipes that are abundant in protein. A good place to start is Forks Over Knives which offer lots of 100% plant-based recipes.

If you are still concerned about getting enough protein, it’s easy to get additional plant-based protein from supplements such as Hammer Nutrition’s Vegan Protein which has 20 grams of protein per serving. Get Hammer Protein for 15% off HERE.

Finally, if you are interested in a plant-based nutrition coach, Lindsey Hintz , M.S. in Plant-Based Nutrition, is the best out there. If you are interested in a plant-based coach for sport, I’ve had tremendous success as a coach for over 7 years and love helping athletes of all levels succeed.

Look out for more blogs from us soon with more tips on how to lose weight, gain energy and thrive on a plant-based diet. Sign up for our newsletter HERE

Win a FREE bottle of Flora’s new Omega Sport+ by just going over to our Facebook pageand ‘liking’ our most recent post where you’ll then be entered to win. We’ll announce one random winner tonight. Thanks to all of our Wholistic Running fans!

All runners want to get better and for some that means running faster and others it means running farther, injury-free or with more joy. Whatever your goals are, we at Wholistic Running are here to help. Here are two suggestions you can do today that are easy and can have tremendous benefits to your running and health. Continue reading →

We here at Wholistic Running hope your running season is off to an amazing start. We’d like to help you stay injury-free and perform your best this year. With our Injury Prevention & Performance Plan, you’ll do just that. Our plans are individualized and designed specifically for YOU. They are $50 OFF through Memorial Day.

Chia seeds are perfect for runners! They are full of omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation and tons of nutrients to help with recovery.

Chia Seed Pudding

1 1/4 c- 1 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk

1/4 c chia seeds

1 T maple syrup or 5 drops stevia

1-2 dashes of cinnamon

1-3 drops vanilla or coconut extract (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and let sit 1-2 hours. Best when chilled. This will be one of the most delectable desserts you’ve ever eaten! **fun tip**Chia seeds can be used to replace eggs in any recipe. Combine 1T chia to 3 parts water = 1 egg, let sit until gel forms and wahla!

As a plant-based athlete on the prestigious list of ‘Greatest Vegan Athletes‘, I can attest to the power of a plant-based diet. It has allowed me to run 40 ultra marathons (mostly 50 and 100 mile races) without a significant injury for over 12 years. Eating plant-based has helped my performance, reduced injuries and gives me tremendous energy. A plant-based diet has not only helped me but countless other athletes as and this is why Wholistic Running offers Nutritional Consulting and Online Coaching to help you perform and feel your best. –Damian Stoy, founder of Wholistic Running

Damian & Lindsey are both certified in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell. Lindsey has an M.S. in Holistic Nutrition for Athletes and is a top-level runner. If you want to learn from the best, find out more about Lindsey and Damian and how they can help you today!

Do you have a race coming up this Spring or Summer? We would love to help you exceed your goals!

Running more efficiently is the quickest and easiest way to run faster. That’s why we offer online Performance Enhancement Plans. We also offer Online Coaching Plans for runners of every level. Our plans are individualized and personalized for every runner!

Try this on your next run: Instead of pushing off or reaching out in front of you to run faster, try slightly leaning from your ankles (not your hips!). See if this simple change helps you run faster. Then, take your lean away and notice that you slow down. It’s NOT magic, it’s one of the many easy biomechanic tips we give runners to help them run faster and with less impact.

We are offering our best deals EVER! Give yourself or the runner in your life the gift of health and happiness. Purchase a 3 or 6 month training package today and get 1 month FREE. Also, our Injury Prevention & Performance Plans are $50 off.

This is your opportunity to be coached by not only one professional runner but two. Lindsey & Damian want 2017 to be your best year ever!

Lindsey and I seek every advantage we can to be more successful and have greater energy and health. We call these benefits ‘Marginal Gains’. They quickly and easily add up to significant benefits that you can see and feel.

We recently tested out Fully Charged, a new product that promises to give you more energy, reduce fatigue and boost your performance using plant-based ingredients such as beet and cherry extracts. We were skeptical at first. But we can honestly say that after over a dozen runs using Fully Charged, we see a significant advantage of more energy, better performance and less fatigue. We’re adding this to our list of Marginal Gains!

You can get Fully Charged at 15% off when you click on either picture or go HERE. Try it out and you’ll see a boost in your runs just like we did.

Damian Stoy is a renowned coach and professional ultra runner. He offers online coaching and nutritional consulting for athletes all around the world.

I use to suffer from many chronic running injuries and had several doctors and physical therapists tell me:

“Give up running.” “Running is bad for you.” “You aren’t designed to run.”

I sure am glad I didn’t listen to them. Since then, I have run over 40 ultra marathons (mostly 50 or 100 mile races) winning 8 of them.

A greater accomplishment is the fact that I ran injury-free for over 11 years after suffering from those chronic injuries. I do specific things that prevent serious injury because I do not want to go back to the days when I was injured and couldn’t run. My passion is sharing how I overcame those injuries and how to stay injury-free with as many people as possible.

Shin splints, runner’s knee, IT band pain, muscle strains and foot pain were just some of the injuries I use to suffer from. Worst of all, I had tendonitis in both knees for two years when I was in college. I was in pain all the time and some days I could barely walk. I went to some of the best doctors and physical therapists and nothing seemed to help. So I gave up running completely.

Two years of not running led to depression and a decline in health. I decided there had to be a solution, a better way. I started researching, read lots of books and found out that if I modified and practiced my running technique, I could maybe run again. It sounded unbelievable and I was very skeptical. But I went out and modified my running technique, running for the first time in over 2 years. To my surprise I was able to run with minimal pain. As the days went past, I was able to run more and more with less and less pain. I was hooked.

Since then I have learned extensively about how to run injury-free as well as increase performance. I have experimented with many concepts and lots of trial and error. Now being a competitive ultra runner and injury-free for over 11 years, I have found what works really well for me and my passion is sharing it with others.

Here are my top tips for injury-free running and greater performance:

1. Listen to your body

Yes, I sometimes have minor tweaks and pains when I train and after 50 or 100 mile races. The important thing is to not let these become injuries that stop you from running. The key is listening to your body. Do NOT ignore these pains. They are a signal from your body that you need to back off, rest AND correct whatever is wrong such as your running technique.

2. Improve your running technique

The major factor that allowed me to overcome chronic injuries was modifying my running technique. In the past I was inefficient and ran with a high impact technique that beat up my body, though I had no idea at the time. For you to correctly modify your technique, do lots of your own research and try different concepts. I highly recommend seeking out a technique specialist to help you with your technique. At a minimum, video yourself running so you can see exactly how you run. Too many runners tell me they don’t heel strike, don’t have imbalances or misalignment issues but most often they do.

3. Improve your nutrition

What I eat greatly enhances my overall health, keeps my energy levels very high and helps me to recover incredibly fast. Again, the key is listening to your body and finding out what works best for you. I have tried just about everything out there and the ‘diet’ that works best for ME for performance, recovery and increased energy is a whole foods, plant-based diet (WFPB).

4. Train smarter, not harder

I am a firm believer in quality over quantity. Training with this philosophy can prevent burn out, decrease injuries and running will be more enjoyable. You will also be more likely to reach your long term goals. Every run you do should have a purpose. Get rid of the junk miles that do not serve a purpose. Cyclic and periodization training are very valuable for reaching long term goals.

There are many good training programs out there. However, most do not focus on injury prevention. I highly recommend looking for a running coach like myself that specifically focuses on injury prevention as well as performance.

5. Other important factors

Cross training and runner specific strength training are beneficial but in my opinion NOT as important as the factors I discuss above. Your foundation should be overall health, an efficient technique and proper training. Strength and cross training will build upon your foundation but too many runners rely on them exclusively for injury prevention.

Damian Stoy is a professional runner, coach, nutritional consultant and founder of Wholistic Running. He offers online coaching and nutritional consultations for runners all around the world.